Book Club – April

And before you say anything, I know I’m slacking here. I should’ve written more posts, kept up to date but, to be honest, what with the day job and writing and reading, it got a bit much. But things have calmed down now, and so first off, what did we think of the Anne Tyler book?

I loved it. But then I love Anne Tyler.

I love the way nothing much happened, the plot wasn’t all whistles and bangs, it just meanders along whilst the characters discovered some enlightening things about themselves. And I liked the characters, it did take me awhile to connect with them, I’ll admit that all the nicknames threw me a bit, but once I got to know them, I enjoyed reading about them all.

I particularly liked the point that Tyler was making about how we see ourselves and how we think other people see us. Especially at the end.

I loved following along with Beck and seeing how she thought she’d been robbed of her ‘real’ life only to discover something different. I liked reading about her inner turmoil, her self-discovery, her journey towards the final stages of her grief at the loss of her husband and how she envisaged the future for herself.

I’ll hold my hands up and admit that it was a bit of a slow book. If you’re looking for a lot of twists and turns and staying up all night just to see what happens then this is not the book for you. But, if you like a read that is subtle, where the writing and description is brilliant, where you can read about a character and envisage her immediately, then give this a go.

Like I say, I loved it, but most of the other people I’ve spoken to who read this book for March did not!

It was too slow for them and too descriptive. A lot of them, I hate to say, didn’t finish reading it.

So how about you? Did you enjoy it, or where you looking for something faster?

Now onto the April book choice.

It’s a book that’s been recommended and not one that I would normally pick (which is what book clubs are all about, isn’t it? Reading stuff that you wouldn’t usually) so I’m looking forward to this one.